Pamela 0:09

You're listening to premeditated opinions because yes, we thought about it, and then we said it anyway. I'm Pamela.

Josh 0:16

And I'm John. And we are two people who somehow share a brain and decided to weaponize our brains with microphones. Each week, we unpack anything, from politics and religion to carpool dread and everything in between.

Pamela 0:28

You know, it would really help us a lot if you followed us on Instagram and YouTube. Giving us a like and a follow is probably the best thing your thumbs will do today.

Josh 0:37

We are not experts. We are just way too confident in our own opinions. With all that being said, let's get started. I'm just gonna jump right in.

Pamela 0:45

Yep. That'll be our opening.

Josh 0:48

Yeah. This is the opening right now. This is it. I'm I'm putting this in the podcast now. Like do you remember how to do this?

Pamela 0:55

Huh?

Josh 0:56

Do you remember how to do this? Like podcast? Yeah.

Pamela 0:58

Uh exactly.

Josh 1:00

So we we're back. I think. We're back as of now. We're back. Um sorry about that little break. Um, BT Dubs. We we had a lot of life coming at us from a lot of directions. And it's really you'll hear more about it, actually. There, there's we're gonna do some episodes around kind of the chaos of our lives in the last month. And so I definitely I don't, I'm not trying to be intentionally vague. It it just it was a lot. And so we kind of had to make a uh a few came game time decisions, and one of those game time decisions was we've got to skip an episode. So that's just what happened. And until such a time as this podcast is paying us a lot of money, we're gonna have to do that sometimes. Yeah, like it's just the reality, and and it's fine, but we missed you. We loved you. How are you, everybody? Tell us right now. In the comments, yes, in the comments and out loud wherever you are. Um, yeah, we're very good listeners.

Pamela 1:53

Uh so I mean, to be fair, we have alluded to the fact that like summer was gonna be a little crazy. Like we had some stuff coming up, so um, yeah, when rubber hit the road, it was kind of okay. Like, yeah, and I mean, it's the two of us. Uh-huh. You know, we this is it. Like, we don't have producers. I don't know if like that's obvious.

Josh 2:16

We're so well done that I'm sure that surprises people that it's just the two of us.

Pamela 2:20

You know, he does the editing, I do the posting, um, we do the content, um, but it's just the two of us. So we don't have any team behind us or any um support. Yeah. Yeah.

Josh 2:34

Outside of our spouses who are lovely but are not involved. So we're we're thrilled to be back. We actually, so this episode is going to come out before um an episode that we're doing that is gonna be a long-form interview, and I'll just tell the ladies and gentlemen. So we're we're doing a long-form interview with a longtime friend of mine, a gentleman named Ron White, not the comedian. Um this Ron White is a Guinness World Record holder for memory. Uh, he was on Stan Lee's Superhumans. He has done so many cool things with his life. Um, and so we're we're doing an interview with him that we're actually filming um right after we record this one. And so uh yeah, we're excited to have him on. That's gonna be very much worth your time. He's a fascinating guy. And uh yeah, of all the of all the episodes we've done, this is definitely one of the ones I'm I'm most excited about. However, we've had some great ones recently, especially the episode of Chrissy and Ariel. Oh my god.

Pamela 3:28

At least okay, our content may be spaced apart, but at least you're getting good stuff.

Josh 3:32

Yeah, exactly. We're delivering on quality.

Pamela 3:34

Yeah, we've been talking about interviewing him for a while. Um, and you know, the timing finally lined up. So yeah, this that that'll be it'll be a lot, a lot of really interesting, interesting stuff. Uh he's a very uh just I don't know, like he's had many experiences.

Josh 3:52

His life is very rich. He uh uh he's been involved in a lot. I don't want to say more because I want you to listen to the episode, but it it's it it's gonna be great. So anyway, we figured today we would just kind of do a little bit of catch up. Uh there's been a lot of things in the news that are interesting and pretty funny.

Pamela 4:10

Yeah.

Josh 4:10

Um and so there's there's I mean at this point you just have to laugh.

Pamela 4:14

Like I can't, I can't like I just have to laugh.

Josh 4:17

It's so one of the headlines, like one of my favorite storylines of the last six months, hands down, is the reflecting pool.

unknown 4:26

No.

Josh 4:27

In Pro Lincoln Memorial. Like, I just I can't get enough of the reflecting pool. And it's such a silly thing, and yet it continues to make news over and over and over again because of how poorly everything has gone. Yeah. So I didn't look up, but before we started recording, I did not look up uh the exact figures. I think I know them off the top of my head. So I'm gonna give it a whirl. But I think, and you guys, the ladies and gentlemen listening cannot hold me to this if I'm wrong, because I'm going off the cuff. But I think it initially started because Trump wanted to beautify the reflecting pool and make it more blue.

Pamela 5:06

Yeah, uh uh to match the American flag.

Josh 5:08

American flag blue.

Pamela 5:09

Yeah.

Josh 5:10

Because America.

Pamela 5:12

Okay.

Josh 5:12

And so it was drained and they applied a coating, and we were told that the the total out the door cost for this was going to be 1.5 million, I think was the first.

Pamela 5:25

Yeah, yeah, roughly. Yeah.

Josh 5:27

And it was given a no-bid contract, which that all by itself is a red flag because there's loads of federal regulations around how to do that. Yeah, I didn't think that was allowed, but it's not, but it is if you're Trump. So they gave a no-bid contract to a company out of Oklahoma that I I think the owner of that company had donated to the Trump company.

Pamela 5:50

He was, yes, he was a supporter.

Josh 5:51

Yeah, and so this guy wins the con this guy's company wins the contract. They um begin the process of doing the renovations, and I'll be really honest, like at the start of it, I thought, this is dumb, but fine. Yeah, whatever.

Pamela 6:07

I I thought I mean honestly, I don't know what this I've never been to DC. I didn't know what the state of the reflecting pool was. Maybe there was a problem. Like, I don't know, but I was just kind of like, I feel like there are other things that we can be spending money on, but if the you know, yeah, there's budget for it and they uh trying to be optimistic about it. Like, okay, if if this needs to be done, then whatever. But anyway, same. We're also in the middle of a war and all these other things.

Josh 6:38

Like there were there were loads of other ways that we could have spent our time and money and the media attention. But I I was trying I'm right there with you. I was trying to get benefit of the doubt. I was like, fine.

Pamela 6:50

Maybe this was budgeted for at some point, like maybe it's been a problem. I mean, probably not, but I'm just trying to see some some non-negativity in this.

Josh 7:02

Right. So we we get into the whole project. Okay, so I'm sorry, for starters, I'm gonna back up. So I have been to DC several times and I've seen the reflecting pool several times, and I honestly have no memory of the state of it at all. I I don't remember it looking run down, I don't remember it like needing obvious work. As somebody who used to own a swimming pool, I can tell you that I know those need regular maintenance. And so, like, I I wasn't rolling my eyes at this needing maintenance. Well, then this company comes in, no bid contract, $1.5 million budget. It ends up costing $14 million.

Pamela 7:42

Four, I've heard I've seen 14, I've seen 16.

Josh 7:44

And yeah, the 14 I think was just for the resurfacing, and then there was another like 1.5 or 2 million that had to go into like mechanical repairs.

Pamela 7:54

Okay, okay.

Josh 7:55

I think that's how it broke down. Okay, but again, sure, ladies and gents, you can absolutely correct me. But we're way over budget here, massively over budget. And now it's just turned into this hilarious turn of events. It's a swamp.

Pamela 8:12

It is a swamp.

Josh 8:13

It's a swamp because it turns out that when you put a dark color underneath a very shallow pool of water, it's not deep. When you put a dark coating on there, you raise the temperature of that water because of how it catches sunlight. Yeah. So then the water temperature rate rises and algae blooms. Mm-hmm. So now you've got the reflecting pool absolutely full of nasty looking algae. I I saw like aerial photos of it.

Pamela 8:40

Oh, yeah. You can you can actually uh on YouTube, you can go to um you can you can Google it. Um, but YouTube's got a live feed from the monument onto the reflecting pool. So like you can see, you can go out right now while you're listening to this and see the reflecting pool.

Josh 9:02

Right. Yeah. For anyone who's skeptical of what we're saying, footage is readily available. So you you we have this massive algae bloom, and then well, one of my favorite side effects of the algae bloom was the people who started showing up protesting in favor of the algae. Did you see that? I didn't, but yeah, so that that hit my feed this morning.

Pamela 9:25

So I thought we were draining the swamp.

Josh 9:27

Right. Yeah, we're just extending it. Um, yeah, there is some poetry in the remarkable.

Pamela 9:34

Yes.

Josh 9:35

So we they there are these people who started showing up with like pro-algae t-shirts and signs, and they're like walking in circles around the reflecting pool, and I think that's hilarious. Um, and so they in order to combat the algae, the National Park Service dumped hydrogen peroxide into the water. Now, this is where we fully depart from my knowledge about anything related to water. I had a pool for many years, and I know basically how to maintain standard swimming pool chemicals. So I'm way outside my depth here. But from what I read, the hydrogen peroxide then caused the coating, the brand new coating to start to break down. And then you have pieces of our American flag blue coating just floating to the surface of the reflecting pool.

Pamela 10:25

Yep.

Josh 10:26

And if this isn't a metaphor for the entire administration, I don't know what is.

Pamela 10:30

So I have questions. Like, I mean, is it chlorinated water or are they trying to keep it like environmentally friendly or something? Like, I would think that shock would kill the algae.

Josh 10:41

You would think, yeah, I mean, to be perfectly.

Pamela 10:43

So I'm like, why did they I I didn't understand the hydrogen peroxide thing. Um, if anything, it sounded like it made it worse.

Josh 10:49

It definitely did.

Pamela 10:50

So then, okay, so then I saw, in addition to this, that it is now being blamed on vandals for the algae and the paint peeling and all of that. Um, and there was a story about a guy who was uh like a biker, a cyclist, yeah, yeah, yeah. So he walked up and put his hand, I and I don't know, I don't know if you're allowed to get close to it. Like I don't, I don't know. But like like he he he picked it up and he got arrested. Yeah, he was arrested, and now they have um National Guard around the pool to prevent the vandals from from destroying it.

Josh 11:37

So I saw that story to you and I'm like, what?

Pamela 11:40

Like, why is it so hard to take accountability? I don't understand. I don't like you screwed up. Like, why is this so hard? Why is it so hard to just be like yeah, this wasn't done well, like we over like I have no idea. I mean it just seems and there's no proof of vandals, and again, okay, there is a live stream feed. Like, what did what did someone do? Right to to like, I don't think it was the hydrogen peroxide, like the I like as a like vandals clearly were not right, like those weren't vandals, it was the National Park Service. Like, uh, did someone mess with the paint? Like, did someone like no? But I just I think it's wild how we come up with these crazy theories and these crazy stories with no proof, right? And zero, and then you've got people who believe it, it's unreal.

Josh 12:43

And yeah, the the cyclist story is is interesting. So I I I actually had to work last night um and had some chunks of time where I was just kind of sitting around on my phone for a little bit waiting for something to happen. And so I fell down the rabbit hole of that cyclist story. And basically, what I understand is this is a DC resident who's kind of well known, who is a like avid cyclist. He bikes four or five times a day, a week, not a day, a week. And he always kind of does this route that takes him around the reflecting pool. And where the reflecting pool is is kind of at the uh on one specific side of National Mall in DC. And National Mall is huge, it's massive, it takes a long time to walk all the way across it, and so and it's a great place for cycling. Like it to have a bike and be able to bike through there would be really beautiful. It's a it's a really scenic area.

Pamela 13:36

Okay, is it is it an actual mall?

Josh 13:38

So no, not not in the sense of the malls that we're used to. I honestly don't know why it's called National Mall. I should look that up. Okay, but but it's an outdoor park, it's a huge park packed full of monuments. So there's monuments all over the place, and it's a lot of fun and I mean sometimes a little somber, but in a really good way. Like it's it's really cool to walk through everything because you walk past all these different monuments and kind of stop and read up about what's going on and stuff. It's beautiful. So this guy rides there five days a week. And so he had just stopped because there was all these other people just circled around the reflecting pool, and you can walk right up to the reflecting pool. Like you can walk, you can put your hand in it. Like there's no barriers. I bet there will be now. Um, but he just walked up and saw a piece of the coating floating on the surface. And so the quote that I read was he said that he just picked up a piece of the coating that was floating on the surface just out of curiosity of like the texture and the weight and all of that. And then a National Guardsman immediately came up to him. Sir, you're vandalizing the pool. They accused him of peeling the coating off the bottom, and they arrested him. And so, and this guy's already lawyered up, and he's uh you know, they're gonna they're going to make his life really.

Pamela 14:55

I know you said it's shallow, but I would think it's it's gotta have some depth where like he would have had to if he was peeling it off, like he would have had, yeah, reach in, he'd be wet.

Josh 15:06

Like I think it's three feet. I'm not sure.

Pamela 15:09

Oh, well then for sure. Like Yeah.

Josh 15:12

Yeah. I mean, you're up to your shoulder. I mean, my arms are about three feet long.

Pamela 15:15

I'd be up to my shoulder, but well, but then there was a uh I saw something like ABC News. A news guy was also kind of you know doing the same thing. He was going in and picking it up, and you're just like, well, yeah.

Josh 15:28

So anyway, if if this whole thing isn't a metaphor for the Trump administration, I don't know what it is. It's let's create a problem so we can fix the problem and take credit for fixing the problem we created and also make everything worse.

Pamela 15:43

Yep.

Josh 15:44

We have seen this over and over and over again with straight afore moves. Yes, God.

Pamela 15:50

So anyway, it's like at what point do people start to create their conspiracy theories about Trump? Like they're creating all these conspiracy theories about vandals and all of this stuff. Like maybe maybe we should look at the one who's um oh you know, even even I mean, going back to Alex Predi, Renee Good, like all of this just anyway.

Josh 16:16

Yeah, it's it's this there's plenty of meat on the bone to be very suspicious about a lot of the things that Trump does all by itself, and there's a lot of space to wonder what the real motives are behind a lot of the decisions he makes. And uh I did actually you showed this to me this morning. Oh, one of my favorite uh little memes that's come out of this whole uh reflecting pool situation is did they ask the UFC to fight? Was it the algae? The algae. Yeah, yeah. Could they get the UFC to fight the algae?

Pamela 16:48

Oh my gosh. Okay, so UFC on the lawn. I did not watch it.

Josh 16:52

I didn't either.

Pamela 16:53

I did not want to watch it. I was not surprised by some of the things that were said, and and to me, I'm literally going, idiocracy. Right. This is this is idiocracy. I mean, the fireworks show at the Charlie Kirk thing. Yes, the the UFC fight on the front lawn, like what are we doing? What are we doing? This is not this is not America. Like, and I'm getting real, and we can come back to the UFC fight, but like I was thinking actually this morning, um, I had to run some errands, I was driving through the neighborhood. Um, we gotta go through some streets to get out of our neighborhood, and like nobody's got flags up. There may be one or two, like you know, freedom flags or something, but like no one, no one's got flags up, no one seems excited. Like, and I'm real disappointed because we mmm we'll very unlikely be here for the 300 year.

Josh 17:58

Yeah, it'll be in our 90s.

Pamela 18:00

Yeah, you know, we'll see.

Josh 18:02

Maybe I'll make it that far.

Pamela 18:03

Yeah, but it's like this is our time to get to celebrate, you know, a big uh milestone milestone in America. And I'm like, I don't want my um celebration, my excitement about it to be about Trump.

Josh 18:25

Right, yeah.

Pamela 18:26

Like I am not celebrating our president, I am celebrating our country and the good things that we've done. But part of me doesn't want to celebrate because I don't want it to look like I am accepting of the behavior of our president and administration and like all of this crap. So I'm very conflicted on July 4th this year. Like, I want to celebrate, I want to have you know, pool party or something, but part of me is also like I'm just not real happy with the way things are.

Josh 19:00

Oh, same.

Pamela 19:01

Like, and and I don't know. I I I don't know if what I'm gonna do. Um, I'm still kind of thinking it through because there are still good parts. And I think we're starting to see a lot of um a turning of the tide again because I'm not seeing any flags, like I'm not seeing this excitement or celebration that I would anticipate, especially here in Texas. Yeah, everybody's proud of Texas and then America. Yeah.

Josh 19:32

Um Texas, Texas is the greatest country in America.

Pamela 19:35

Yeah. Um, and so to me, I I'm wondering how many people now are starting to feel the same. I'm not seeing Trump flags anymore. I'm not seeing anything. Like I think we're all or a grand majority of us are starting to feel the way that we did at the 2024 election. Like of this isn't fun anymore. This isn't what I signed up for. Um we didn't sign up for it. No. But I think the people who did are are maybe tucking their tail or something. I don't know.

Josh 20:17

I think that's right. So I did see something a couple of days ago, or maybe yesterday, that that resonated with me. So the New York Knicks just won the NBA finals, right? So we're hosting right now, currently today, we are hosting the World Cup, and that's come with a lot of really fun stories and like anecdotes and things like that. Um like, and there was another example that I read too, and I'm blanking on what it is, but uh maybe it'll come to me as I'm talking. But the there was a post I saw that said, you know, between the celebration around the Knicks win, because there was such elation around that, it was such a huge deal for the city of New York, and a lot of people nationwide really grabbed on to that as a source of joy.

Pamela 21:01

I work with a guy who lives in Queens, like and he was like, it's nuts. Like in a like in a good way.

Josh 21:07

Yeah, yeah. But but but that's even part of what I'm talking about.

Pamela 21:09

Oh, I think you're thinking of the Obama.

Josh 21:11

Yes, the Obama Presidential Center opening. Yeah. So between the Obama Presidential Center opening, the Knicks win, and hosting the World Cup, like that's the version of America I can get behind.

Pamela 21:21

Oh, yeah.

Josh 21:21

Like, like that's this is the kind of thing that makes me proud and optimistic and and feel a certain sense of patriotism because it's the America we miss. Yes, it's the America we miss because it's the camaraderie of it all. Like I saw a post today that um is like that said the World Cup is like seeing your cousins that you never get to see because y'all's parents don't get along. And I thought, but that's brilliant though. Like that's perfect because we're getting to experience all of these other uh cultures and people groups and approaches alongside one of the most famous sporting events anyway. Anywhere and the just the games themselves have been compelling. There's been so many storylines, and that's actually a little bit of an aside, but that's actually why I'm a sports fan. Like, yeah, I love watching sports, and I I there's a few sports in particular that I really follow and and engage with. But my favorite part about being a sports fan is the all the little side stories that come out of it. I love the human element of all of that. And we're seeing so much of that with FIFA right now. Yeah. And, you know, there's that kind of stuff, it it does make me proud to be able to host all of these people from all these countries and cultures. And then you have the brilliant storylines that a lot of you have all you all have heard, I'm sure, like the ranch dressing, like people are coming to America and discovering ranch dressing. Did you hear about this?

Pamela 22:51

Yeah, in Waffle House.

Josh 22:52

In Waffle House, yes. And like the the Japanese uh fans, the fans of the Japan national team, the the Japanese fans who were at uh a Mexican restaurant and they figured out that the chips and salsa were just free. And and they're like, what? These are you can just have this? Like, and it but stuff like that. It's like, man, this is the kind of thing that makes me really excited and makes me really proud. And I'm so thrilled for Knicks fans. I'm not a Knicks fan, but I also really don't like the Spurs. So I was gonna root for whoever the Spurs were playing against and for the Knicks not just to win, but to really shellac the Spurs in a way that was so decisive and fun. And then like the the Obama Presidential Center, I loved the speeches.

Pamela 23:42

Oh Michelle speech about Barack was I mean it was gorgeous. I've read her memoir or her biography. Um I didn't I never finished it, but um it was it was really it was really good. I mean, just to see, you know, they grew up in South Chicago, which isn't where now where that that center is, and they're giving back basically to their hometown, like where they gave where they grew up. And you know, I just it's I miss I miss all of that. I miss grace and humility and um humanity, humanity and community, and I I'm so over this narcissistic rah-rah, like just crap.

Josh 24:36

Like the super divisive, like the backpedaling, the the made up events or or like whatever.

Pamela 24:48

What I I don't even I don't even know. I don't even know what you call it. Like it's just I'm and it's so abrasive. It's so abrasive and it's so illiterate and I don't know.

Josh 25:01

Well, all that's by design, right? So the the abrasiveness and the combativeness and the just the general like the the general premise that we are only successful if we are at war with each other. Like we Republicans and Democrats can only win if they crush the other side. And I think that's such a flawed take on what American politics is meant to be because and and I'm I I will own that I'm borrowing this from Sarah Stuart Holland of the Great Pantsuit Politics uh podcast we love very much. Um she's she I've heard her say often that she's so ready to get back to a contest of ideas and not a contest of personalities. Like, can we just get back to a contest of ideas? Recognize the human across the aisle from you, recognize that that we all fundamentally are trying to get a lot of the same things, we're just going about it in different ways. And and like I I I really have grabbed onto that for myself. I I want to get back to ideas and and not being at war with other people. And I think, I think, I think that there are a lot of people who would agree with us on that. And I think that we're starting to see that even in the way people are voting. Um, you know, we've had some pretty substantial um movement in like the the primaries before the midterms. The midterms are coming up in November, and I'm very, very curious about a lot of races. You know, we have Texas has a national spotlight right now with Ken Paxton and James Tallerico. You know, we've that shouldn't even be a but it shouldn't, and yet we're in Texas, and so it's still gonna be a pretty legitimate.

Pamela 26:46

But I do love hit I do love Talerico's clapbacks to just so I okay. I'm gonna I'm gonna I'm going to go off here for a second. Um I I got off Facebook. I I I deactivated my personal account. I I'm pretty much done with it. Um the times I do get on are through our podcast page. Um, and you know, we still have a news feed. Um so I still see some some things. Uh I've I've seen many uh John Cornyn, Ken Paxton, Greg Abbott, ridiculous post, just immature memes. And like I think I think they're trying to be cute and it's not. Um, but my favorite part is they have these just asinine memes making fun of Talarico, but all the comments are like, yes, this is not a flex. Like this did not land.

Josh 27:53

Like, yep, I've seen that.

Pamela 27:55

This doesn't slap. Like it's it's it, and then Talerico will get interviewed and asked about it, and and he just laughs because he's just like, This is like, what are we doing? And and I hate that kind of politics. I've always hated the you know, going after your appointment, you know, just doing everything you can to to um sorry, doing everything you can to just make them look bad, to bring up all their dirty laundry and like all of that. Like, I don't want to hear why I shouldn't vote for someone. I want to hear why I should vote for you.

Josh 28:32

A million percent, yes. I I'm completely with you. And that that a lot of a lot of what you're talking about is is right in line with that contest of ideas that I want to get back to you. Like, stop telling me all of the dirty laundry you can dig up online about your political opponent and start telling me why you're qualified for this. Why do you deserve the office? Why do you deserve that position of power? And I I think that fundamentally we're not asking that question in damn near any race that the any political race. Like that that has to be the standard. And one of my favorite, well, two different Talerico um like headlines that I thought were really interesting. So the dumbest one by Miles for me was uh Talarico's a vegan, which for starters is not who cares?

Pamela 29:27

Like, even if that's true, which it's not, okay, because he he clapped back by eating barbecue. Yeah, he's like, I'm from Texas.

Josh 29:34

Yeah, he's an eighth generation Texan. He had this great line.

Pamela 29:37

I didn't even know he had a girlfriend, but it came out like his girlfriend is vegan, and all the things that they're accusing him of, well, minus transgender, like she is the more like vegan, like whatever the things they think are. But my thing is like that's the worst you have.

Josh 29:53

Right, exactly. That's truly that's the worst you've got. Like, he doesn't eat meat, okay.

Pamela 29:59

He doesn't have a criminal record, he hasn't been sued, like he hasn't like all.

Josh 30:05

I mean, let's I mean, if you want to go there, Kim Paxton, like by all means, it's not gonna go well for you, bro.

Pamela 30:11

It's also Dan Patrick's going after Talarico, and all these people, they're like, You we're not even like you're not even in a race with this guy. Like, what are you like what are you doing here? Right. It it's just it's gotten so immature and childish and petty.

Josh 30:26

Yeah.

Pamela 30:27

Um, which normally I enjoy petty, but I don't like this kind of petty.

Josh 30:31

It's this kind of petty is uh this is too important of a thing to be this petty. I think that's what it is for me. We're not talking about like, you know, some municipal, you know, some municipal political seat that doesn't really have any impact. We're talking about a sitting senator in the United States Congress.

Pamela 30:51

This is whose decisions or votes will affect a large number of people, millions and millions of people. Like the this is not small potatoes. Um, but yeah, like yeah, I just it we've always had mud slinging in in politics, and I understand that, but I've always hated it. I'm like, that's why I think Zoron, Mom Donnie, was so effective because he he was like, What can I do for you?

Josh 31:22

Right.

Pamela 31:22

How can I help you? Like, what do you need? Like, what can I do to get get you on your feet? Or or what uh like he went for people's needs. He didn't go for, well, don't vote for this guy because he's slept with whoever. Yeah, like who cares? Like, I mean, I there is an ethical component to this. I don't know where you draw the line, but I I just don't think that there are certain things that matter. Right.

Josh 31:57

Well, Mamdani is a really good example, so I think he is a fascinating candidate all by himself. But at the same time, the people of New York voted for him. And would I have voted for him? I mean, yeah, probably. Um But I remember when he won that election, I remember thinking, okay, man, the worst thing that can happen now is for you to achieve this position of power and do nothing with it.

Pamela 32:27

Yep.

Josh 32:29

And that is not at all what's happening. This guy from the jump, I mean, he has been effective. I mean, he they just signed a budget that figured out how to restore this like $16 billion deficit for the city of New York and fund all these programs that they were wanting to fund because he adjusted some taxes that's gonna affect like the top 0.1% of New Yorkers. Yes. And now, and of course, these guys are all up in arms now because it's like, oh, he's attacking the rich. Dude, you have money coming out of your ears. I don't hear it. And so I I love some of the policies he's put in place and I love how practical they've been. There was this whole I did you follow the pothole, um, the pothole storyline. So basically what happened was vaguely somebody on on X, formerly known as Twitter, sent him uh or they they they mentioned him in a post and was like, what are you gonna do about all these potholes? And he responded with on it. And then he launched a campaign that lasted like three weeks. Oh, no, I okay, yeah, and they filled like a hundred thousand potholes.

Pamela 33:42

I I don't remember, I I don't remember the potholes, but I do remember the snow removal.

Josh 33:47

Yes, yeah, the same thing.

Pamela 33:48

Yeah, practical.

Josh 33:50

Yeah, we're gonna go figure it out. This is our job.

Pamela 33:52

Yeah, well, like like they were paying people so much an hour or something, or so like to to go and shovel their neighborhoods. Right like genius.

Josh 34:03

Yeah, I can't believe it took us this long to figure out that this kind of thing works. But anyway, we like that that's there are things within the American ecosystem that are worth celebrating. And I'm excited in some ways for America to turn 250 years old. Hooray us. I wish that it was all happening under different leadership, but I appreciate the storylines are coming to light that make this feel like a place worth celebrating because they do exist.

Pamela 34:37

They do. And and maybe like if we can get media to start ignoring the administration, I wonder if that like I don't want to, I'm not trying to like throw media under the bus, but it's constant. Yes, it is constant of here's what they're doing now, here's what they're saying now, here's what happened now, here like all like if we take, if we pull the camera off the president and actually put it onto the good things that are happening, I bet things would start like because he will throw a hissy fit, like he will lose his mind if he is not the center of attention. So stop making him the center of attention. Like they are doing all of this to get attention, like it is all to desensitize us to this insanity so they can start doing whatever they want. And like if we start focusing on the Nicks and the good things and you know, I I just there's other things out there that deserve the airtime, and I think that I I actually do believe that people are starting to figure that out.

Josh 35:43

I think that people are starting to come to the realization that I bet you if we start ignoring him, we won't be in a war. Oh, yeah. I mean, well, that's where I think that he will continue to escalate until he wins the attention back. And so there is that piece of the puzzle, but at the same time, I'm willing to roll the dice.

Pamela 36:02

Okay, well, put him on Fox News and nothing else.

Josh 36:05

Right. Yeah. Give him two segments a day on Fox News.

Pamela 36:08

Yeah.

Josh 36:09

And just let him do his thing and then everyone else ignore him. I'm on board. Yeah. Boom. We're gonna switch gears. So there's a there's a show that we both enjoy very much that we want to talk about a little bit, and we're we wanna we wanna wrap this up, but we're gonna give you a disclaimer at the beginning of this. If if you are a fan of the show, we're going to talk about spoilers. Yep. So the show is called Clarkson's Farm. If you have no idea what we're talking about, for starters, shame on you. It is really a fantastic piece of television. And I'll give a brief synopsis and you can correct.

Pamela 36:45

It's along the like it's wholesome, kind of like if you're a fan of Ted Lasso. Yes. You know, it's just it's just that like, except this is reality. Yes, it's reality TV. Um, but it it's a very like, it's it's got comedy, it's got drama, it's got education, it's got you know, entertainment. Um it's there's a there's a lot to it, but um it has a lot of heart.

Josh 37:13

It it has tons of heart, and is that heart has continued to grow since the show started. So everything you just said is correct. I love the Ted Lasso parallel. I that really resonates with me. I think that's a great comparison. Clarkson's Farm. So Clarkson is Jeremy Clarkson, uh, the former presenter for Top Gear on BBC. Uh, and then he was a part of a show called The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime. He also is involved in a a couple other TV shows in the UK that we can't get here. Um, so he's a very, very, very well-known British celebrity.

Pamela 37:45

Well, and and for those who don't know what maybe Top Gear, like like Jeremy built his career driving and reviewing cars.

Josh 37:53

Yes, yeah. He was a he was a journalist specifically in the automotive industry, and he's fabulous on camera. And so within Top Gear, they would do car reviews and and all sorts of different things.

Pamela 38:04

Supercars, like all kinds.

Josh 38:06

It's really so Top Gear and the Grand Tour are two of my favorite shows of all time. I was a huge fan of his because of that show. During the filming of Grand Tour, he talked about on that show how he just bought a farm. And he bought a British farm in the Cotswolds, and Clarkson's farm is basically where we get to watch him try and take care of this farm.

Pamela 38:29

Yeah. It's very different. It sounds odd if you know it. You're like, Clarkson's gonna try being a farmer.

Josh 38:37

Uh-huh. So that was part of the bit when it got started, right? So, like, part of the whole deal was this is gonna fail miserably, and we're gonna capture it on camera, and isn't it going to be funny?

Pamela 38:46

Well, and part of it too was in the grand tour. I didn't realize this was real, but they blew up his house.

Josh 38:53

Yes, they actually blew up his house. Yeah. Um and so he he's he buys his farm, and the first season, there's five seasons now. Season five just dropped, we just finished it. The first season is like, especially the first half of the first season, it's mostly just him getting into shenanigans.

Pamela 39:14

It's mostly just him spending Amazon's money on Lambo tractors and all kinds of things.

Josh 39:22

So towards the end of season one, though, you start to see this shift in Clarkson where he starts to realize just how important and difficult this work is. And so, really, starting with season two and continuing on, he starts to try. Like he's really trying to not screw it up. He's still doing some crazy stuff, and he, you know, he's worth loads of money, so he can take wild risks within farming, and it doesn't really impact his ability to live. And so there's absolutely an element of ridiculousness about it. Yes. But at the same time, like when you watch it, you start to see his personality come out more, and he just falls in love. He absolutely falls in love. And I think by the end of season two, you can really see it. Seasons three and four, they branch out into not just loving this, but into advocacy. So he starts advocating for British farming and advocating for the needs of his community. He starts introducing other farmers on the show. He starts introducing organizations on the show. He starts a restaurant that only serves food made in British farms. I mean, it's just it he starts to really care. And it's still silly and it's still fun and it's still a blast to watch. But he it's a different Clarkson than season one. It's just a different guy.

Pamela 40:47

Yeah.

Josh 40:47

Well, and then season five rolled around. So season five had some hard things in it anyway. They were having a rough year. Yeah. So these are the spoilers. If you're gonna turn this off, now's the time. But he had some rough days on the farm. I mean, a bad drought that killed off a bunch of his crops. He had some cows with TB. Yeah, cows who got TB.

Pamela 41:11

Thought they had right.

Josh 41:13

Yeah, that was a whole thing too. Uh he what there was a cow that was pregnant with twins.

Pamela 41:19

His first cow.

Josh 41:19

Uh-huh. I think her name was No, that wasn't Pepper. That was a different cow. But the the fact that I know his cow's names is ridiculous. But it's the the whole TB storyline is hard to watch. And then, and I'll let you take over some talking too much, but then he drops some really interesting news, and I want to talk about that a little bit. But and we don't have a lot of time left. But um, what happened?

Pamela 41:45

So you sent me an Instagram of uh a reel that he had put out right like the day before the last two episodes of season five dropped. And it was it was vague, but it was basically he's like, Hey, you know, I know that we like to have fun and have bits and all of this. Um, but these last two episodes of Clarkson for Clarkson's Farm are very somber, is how he described it. Um and that's pretty much all he said. So, you know, you and I are like, oh, what is it? You know, like is it this, is it that? Um long and short, um, he reveals that he has been diagnosed with prostate cancer. And everybody is shocked. Yeah. Um and he has a procedure while filming the show. Like the show doesn't film any of that, but like the you know, Lisa, his girlfriend, has to kind of start taking over for for him. And so you get to see her learn to drive the tractors and all of that. Um, and then he comes back, um, but he's restricted. Um, oh, also, I don't know how he forgot this. At the very beginning of this season, he had a heart attack.

Josh 43:07

Oh, almost, almost a heart attack. It was it was a it was a cardiac event of I don't think they called it a heart attack, but yeah, he had like major blockage in his arteries around his heart, like major.

Pamela 43:20

Yeah, and that's how season five starts is him in the hospital or going like in the ambulance in in the hospital. So then at the very end, it's like, okay, well, we had that, and now now we have this this cancer scare. Um, so season five was recorded in 2025. So now here we are, six months ish into 2026. Um, actually, today's Father's Day. So happy Father's Day.

Josh 43:49

Thank you.

Pamela 43:49

Um and you know, we were also kind of shocked because we're like, okay, well At the end of season six, he's saying, like, well, he's again in a hospital bed, and he says, you know, well, we'll find out if there's gonna be a season six.

Josh 44:09

Right.

Pamela 44:09

You know, and it's like, okay, well, he sh he had this real, so he's alive. Like, but there was nothing. I know we were kind of scouring like Caleb's social media, Charlie, Lisa, nothing was given away. No, nothing. So then this morning, you sent me a text um of a news article that said that Jeremy Clarkson um was now in remission of prostate cancer. So um this in the show, he does mention it was like it was caught early, but it was an aggressive form of cancer. So um, you know, he had that procedure. I'm pretty sure he went through like some radiation. He mentioned in the show having to do like other things of some kind. Yeah, I assume chemo and or radiation. Um, but the yeah, so now he's in remission and they are in production for season six.

Josh 45:13

Yes.

Pamela 45:14

But all that to say get tested.

Josh 45:19

One of the things that he talks about, um, and he actually so I saw the article posted by the BBC this morning that he is officially in remission. And then he has also posted several things on his personal Instagram just about this process. And I've I watched a reel that I think he just posted yesterday that said the reason that I am standing here today filming this video is because I got tested. And if I had gone 90 days longer, I would not be here making this video. And so here's the thing I could wax poetic about all the hilarious and ridiculous things that I've seen Jeremy Clarkson do on television for a long time. I've been a huge fan of the programs that he's been involved with for many, many, many years. And it's one thing to enjoy somebody, it's another thing to respect somebody. Yeah. And I have really crossed over from not just enjoying Clarkson and and what he's doing on TV. I now respect the hell out of him. And not just for the his his very open call towards getting tested. And he even I even saw another post where he talked about like the nuts and bolts of getting tested. Like he's like, guys, it's not that bad. Like he's speaking directly to men.

Pamela 46:35

Yeah, and so here's the thing, and and this is also something I've always told my kids like with when it comes to getting like shots, like vaccines and things. I you would rather put up with the discomfort now than later if you don't and have to deal with that discomfort. Oh, and I know that from personal experience, and one day we will go into that whole yeah story, but just do it now. It we yes, everyone's busy. Yes, no one wants to think about how things are done and and and all of that. But it's like a little bit of pain now will save you so much pain and possibly your loved ones' pain later.

Josh 47:18

Yeah.

Pamela 47:18

Like just stay on top of it.

Josh 47:22

Yeah, and and don't don't ignore symptoms, don't ignore signs that your body is giving you that something might be different. And I just I have such respect for him now.

Pamela 47:33

And I know our healthcare system doesn't help.

Josh 47:35

Nope.

Pamela 47:36

It does not help us when you know. I know growing up, like it w you had to be like dying to go see the doctor. Um things are a little bit better now. Preventive care is you know more accessible. Um or at least it was. Yeah.

Josh 47:56

It's still it's it's there are paths.

Pamela 47:59

But but so I I know we're definitely speaking from from a place of like being having access to care and things like that, but and it's one of the reasons why I am so passionate about the state of our healthcare system and insurance and all of that, because it's just people are dying because of the lack of access. And and we just keep making it harder and more complicated and complex and all of that. So anyway, stepping off that soapbox, yeah. Um, yes, please, you know, women, get your mammograms, you know, get your baselines at 35. Men, do what you need to do because it's so much easier to get that stuff done now than to wait until it's too late. Right.

Josh 48:45

Yeah. So that's our PSA at the end of this episode. Go watch Clarkson's Farm.

Pamela 48:49

Yep.

Josh 48:49

Keep up with your medical testing. We want you guys to be here all for many, many years to come.

Pamela 48:55

Listen, we only have so many viewers.

Josh 48:56

I know. We need all of you. Six of you have to stay here. So anyway, thank you for joining us on another episode of Premeditated Opinions. I know this one was a little all over the place, but uh, we just had a lot of recapping to do. So thanks for coming along. Um, we are really excited to share a conversation with Ron White with you, and that'll be coming out in just a couple more weeks. So uh hang tight with us, and we've got some more content coming for you uh very, very fast.

Pamela 49:20

Well, that's it for premeditated opinions, where the thoughts were fully baked and only mildly regrettable. If you enjoyed today's episode, congrats on having truly excellent taste in the podcast. Following us on YouTube and Instagram is a quick and easy way to support us. So if you liked literally anything about today's episode, please like and subscribe.

Josh 49:42

Also, send us to someone who needs to feel seen, dragged, or both. We'll be back next week with more unsolicited insight and emotionally responsible spot. And until then, please stay hydrated and behave yourself in the comments. But if you don't, at least make it slide.